Sanders, who the report described as the leader of a "radical political party" known as the Liberty Union, was also in favor of a 100% tax increase on the wealthiest cohort of Americans back in those days.

The Vermont senator is still decidedly to the left of many Democrats, including those with whom he's competing for the Democratic presidential nomination, but he no longer supports nationalization on such a scale.

The presidential hopeful is a self-declared democratic socialist and has long decried wealth inequality while pushing for policies such as universal healthcare and tuition-free college.

"Throughout his career, Bernie has fought on the side of working people and against the influence of both the powerful ultra-rich and giant corporations who seek only to further their own greed. The record shows that from the very beginning, Bernie anticipated and worked to combat the rise of a billionaire ruling class and the exploding power of Wall Street and multinational corporations," the Sanders campaign spokesman Josh Orton told CNN in a statement.

"Bernie's first priority has always been — and will always be — defending the interests of working people across the country," Orton added.

The nationalization of major industries is a concept that many Americans would likely associate with full-blown socialism, a political philosophy that remains a divisive topic in the US — particularly when it comes to the recent chaos in Venezuela.

"Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country," Trump said during his State of the Union address in February. "America was founded on liberty and independence — not government coercion, domination, and control. We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country."